The Accident
by Kohala
Summary: Based on a true story, but with the Charmed Ones as the characters. I figured I'd bring awareness for those of you who drive at night through a fan fiction. The girls and their boyfriends head home after a party, but some don't make it home.
1. Chapter 1

This is based loosely on a true story (obviously the characters have been changed as have some of the circumstances). I just wanted to make people more aware of something you might not expect when driving in the dark. Also kind of a 'don't drink and drive' message. I hope you all enjoy the story. Feel free to read and review (constructive criticisms please).

A/U: Phoebe and Cole are dating, Leo and Piper are dating, and Andy and Prue are still alive and in a steady relationship.

A large banquet hall, overly-decorated with tulle and balloons roared with laughter, shouted conversations and up-beat dance music. The newlywed couple pushed through the room to greet all of their guests and show their appreciation for attending their special day.

The dance floor was crowded with people and littered with empty plastic couples and spilled drinks. Among the couples on the dance floor were Phoebe and Cole. They were bumping and grinding while trying not to slip on the wet dance floor. The liquid from Cole's cup slopped over the side of his cup and mixed with the alcohol on the floor as his body moved in rhythm with Phoebe's. He quickly chugged the remainder of his beer and tossed the cup aside. His now free hand rested on the small of Phoebe's back and he pulled her closer. They joined in a passionate kiss just as the song ended. Phoebe looked deep into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back and followed her back to the table reserved for the Halliwell's and their dates.

"It looks like you guys could use a few more drinks," said Cole, trying to create an excuse to go back to the dollar bar.

"I could go for another beer if you're headed that way," said Andy. Cole raised two fingers to signify that he was going to get two more beer.

"Grab something girly too," said Piper. "And then this is the last one, I promise." She flashed a wide grin back at Leo. It was a rarity to see her as happy as she was right now, so he had no problem letting her have fun. There hadn't been a demon attack in over a week and all three sisters were beginning to cut loose and allow themselves to have some fun.

"Two beers, a girly drink and something sweet for my girl," Cole announced. "I'll be right back."

"Thanks honey," said Phoebe. She melted into her chair at the table and stole a backwards glance of Cole's backside.

"So, I guess I'm the designated driver tonight," said Prue, slightly upset with Andy for not asking if she would like to drink. He blushed and mumbled an apology, trying to keep their argument inconspicuous from Prue's sisters and Leo.

Piper and Phoebe secretly smiled at one another and looked away to give Prue and Andy a little privacy. The argument didn't last long. Prue knew before she had invited Andy as her "plus one" that she wouldn't be drinking. Honestly, she enjoyed watching Andy squirm.

The bride and groom quickly made their way over to the table the girls were sitting at. The sisters immediately stood up to hug the two of them and congratulate them on their new life together. Jeff, the groom soon found himself completely left out of the conversation and chose to sit with Leo and Andy. He'd been on his feet since the ceremony and readily accepted the opportunity to relax, if only for a moment. The guys quickly got the congratulations out of the way and passed the groom a spare glass of wine.

"You and Piper were smart to have a small wedding," Jeff said quietly to keep his bride, Allison, from overhearing. "I've never been a real 'crowd' person."

"Just a few more hours left and then the real fun begins," said Leo. The guys raised their glasses and cheered each other on. The girls looked back at them momentarily before returning to their conversation.

"I'm so glad you girls could make it," said Allison. "It means so much to Jeff and me. I know it was a really long drive from home. Do you need a place to stay the night?"

"No, no," said Prue. "We'll head back to San Francisco later tonight. Both Leo and I are sober. We wouldn't want to impose. This is your night."

They were interrupted by one of Jeff's friends. He had been at the bar all night and it showed. He had to hold on to things in order to make his way from the bar to the table where Jeff and the guys were sitting. Cole followed at a distance to avoid having the guy bump into him and spill his drinks.

The guy practically collapsed onto Jeff as he hugged him. "This is the best party ever, man!" He shouted. "I gotta run and drop off Derek and Chase, but I'll be back in a few, all right?"

Jeff smiled and pushed the guy off of him. "Whatever Steve," Jeff grunted. "Are you sure you're ok to drive?"

Steve pretended to laugh and walked away from the table in the direction of the door.

"Honey, I really don't think he should be driving," said Allison as she pulled herself away from her conversation with the sisters. "We could call him a cab or you could give him a ride."

"I wouldn't worry about him," said Jeff. "He knows what he's doing." Allison nodded unsurely and returned to the sisters. She thanked them again for coming and pulled her new husband away to greet the rest of the guests.

Piper slid onto her chair beside Leo and grabbed her drink from the center of the table. Leo pulled his chair closer and wrapped his arm over her shoulders. She leaned into him and played with the purple straw in her cup.

"I'm just about ready to head home," said Prue as she glanced over at Piper. Piper's eyelids were becoming heavy and she looked about ready to pass out. Before Prue could convince everyone that it was time to leave, Phoebe leapt up and insisted that she and Cole have one more dance.

"Just one more dance and I promise we can go," said Phoebe. "But this is our song, so we've gotta go dance!"

Cole was confused, but followed Phoebe out to the dance floor anyway. He didn't even know they had 'a song'.

Prue eventually convinced everyone that they had to leave. She wasn't a fan of driving in the dark especially with a car full of drunks.

Phoebe and Cole had rushed outside and into the back seat of Piper's SUV. Leo rolled his eyes, knowing he would have to listen to the two of them make out for the next two hours. Piper had passed out before she could finish her last drink. Leo carried her out of the banquet hall to the parking lot and found himself in a predicament. With Phoebe and Cole taking up the back seat and no chance of getting Piper to sit upright in the front seat, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with her.

"There's room in the back of my car," said Prue as if reading Leo's mind. "You can put her back there if you want." Leo nodded and headed over to Prue's car. Andy opened the back door and helped Leo get Piper into the back seat and seat belted in.

"Enjoy the ride," Prue laughed sarcastically. Leo rolled his eyes and unlocked the front door of Piper's SUV.

"I'll follow you," he said. "I don't really know this area that well." Prue nodded and hopped into her car. The car engines turned over almost in unison and echoed through the dimly lit parking lot.

The banquet hall was situated in a wooded area and was quite hard to find for those not familiar with the area. Having gone to a summer camp not too far from the banquet hall, Prue had no trouble finding the place. She also knew a route home that would allow them to drive with little traffic.

Prue interrupted the silence within the car by turning the radio on. She left the volume low so Piper could sleep through it. The volume in the car didn't remain quiet for long though. Soon both Andy and Prue were jamming to a mix CD and dancing in their seats.

Piper soon began to stir and sat up in the back seat. "Prue, can you pull over?" she said softly. Startled, Prue hit the brake and pulled over to the side of the road. Leo followed close behind. Piper threw open the back door of Prue's car and ran into the ditch to vomit.

"I'll be right back," Prue laughed. Andy smiled and looked through the windshield. He watched as Prue walked passed the front of the car, admiring the curves of her body as she slipped into the shadows. Without the car's headlights, he was unable to see anything out of the windows. It was a cloudy night and the mist was beginning to rise as the temperature dropped.

His train of thought was soon broken as Piper crawled back into the back seat. He twisted around so he could see her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sympathetically. Piper groaned something inaudible and covered her eyes from the car's interior light. A few minutes later, Prue joined them and re-fastened her seatbelt.

"What's the story?" Andy asked. He had seen Prue walk back to Piper's SUV to speak with Leo through the rearview mirror.

"Leo's going to lead the way," replied Prue. "I figured we'd probably have to make a few stops along the way and he knows his way home from here." Andy nodded and adjusted the heat in the car. Prue put the car in drive and followed a few car lengths away from Leo.

"Why did we stop?" Cole asked, slightly out of breath. Phoebe pulled him back into a long, passionate kiss.

"Piper's a little under the weather," replied Leo. "They're going to stop when they need to and we'll just head back home." Neither Phoebe nor Cole were listening to Leo anymore.

"Baby, I'm a little tired," said Phoebe as she pushed Cole away. "Would you mind sitting in the front so I can lay down." Cole smiled and crawled into the front seat across from Leo. He buckled himself in and searched through the radio stations for a good song.

"I've always wanted a motorbike," said Leo absently as he stared at the single headlight approaching.

"Piper won't let you have one?" Cole teased. Leo rolled his eyes and watched as the headlight moved closer to the car. He swore and swerved the car to the side of the road. Phoebe and Cole screamed as their vehicle narrowly missed the car in the middle of the road. The left headlight was missing, making the car appear as a motorbike from a distance. Phoebe took a moment to catch her breath and stop her heart from racing.

"What happened?" Phoebe gasped. She had been curled up on the back seat of the SUV and hadn't seen the car.

"We just about go hit!" Leo growled angrily. "That guy was almost completely in my lane!" He pulled the car to the side of the road and watched in horror as Prue's car neared the single-headlight vehicle.

"They're going to get hit!" Phoebe gasped. She watched through the back window, powerless to do anything.

"Maybe Prue will see it and swerve like we did," said Leo hopefully.

They watched as Prue's car swerved to the side of the road. The other vehicle slammed into the driver's side of Prue's car. Her car spun almost complete around. The passenger side connected with the side of the other vehicle before rolling into the ditch. The other car stood in the center of the road, preventing any traffic from going either direction.

The crash seemed to happen in slow motion. The now quiet country road seemed like a scene from a horror movie. The left signal light of the vehicle that had hit Prue's car blinked steadily, temporarily illuminating the area with a dim, yellow light. The back lights of Prue's car lit the area where it had landed with an eerie red glow.

Phoebe found herself climbing absently out of the vehicle and approaching the accident. She paid no attention to the other vehicle, but moved directly towards her sister's car. She stopped at the side of the road and stared down at what was left of the car in shock.

The entire front of the car was crunched in, right up to the back seat. The window was shattered into millions of tiny pieces, most of which were sprinkled on the pavement. Only then had Phoebe noticed the dark puddles around her. Droplets of blood trickled from the bottom of what was left of the driver's side door.

She jumped as someone took her by the hand and pulled her away from the demolished vehicle. She looked up and realized that it was Leo that was pulling her away. A few feet away from their own vehicle, Cole was on his cell phone calling for help. The severity of the situation suddenly clicked in Phoebe's brain. She screamed at the top of her lungs and attempted to run toward her sister's car to find her sisters. Leo struggled to keep Phoebe from going back to the car. He knew just by looking that there was no way that either Andy of Prue would have made it and he was beginning to doubt that Piper had made it either.


	2. Chapter 2

Phoebe was bawling in Leo's arms, still desperately trying to push him away so that she could attempt to save her sisters and Andy.

"Let go of me!" she screamed. "They're going to die!"

"They're already dead, Phoebe!" Leo shouted. He needed to get Phoebe back in touch with reality and calm her down. "Look at the car! There's no way they could have survived that!" Phoebe looked at the car and collapsed onto the ground. Leo knelt beside her and pulled her into a tight embrace as he fought back his own tears.

Cole wandered slowly over to Leo and Phoebe. He looked at Leo and motioned to take his place. Leo nodded and let Cole comfort Phoebe. Leo wandered into the ditch. He'd seen death before, but the fact that this was his girlfriend and Prue, who was like a sister to him, this time it was different. It was too dark to see anything besides the basic appearance of the car.

Without a word he walked back to Piper's SUV and pulled it around so the lights were shining on Prue's car. He had been a doctor in his past life, so he felt the need to assess the injuries. If any of them were still alive, he could at least be a source of comfort until they passed.

Phoebe hadn't noticed what Leo had done. She was gripping at Cole's shirt and her head was buried into his chest. Leo could hear her crying in the background as he moved toward Prue's car. It looked worse in the light. All of the remaining glass of the windshield was red. He didn't even want to get a better look. There was no possible way that anyone in the front seat could have survived.

He attempted to call their names. The words wouldn't leave his lips at first and he made more of a choked mumbling sound. When he was able to speak, it was barely above a whisper.

He continued to approach the car, watching his footing to avoid slipping on debris or wet patches in the grass.

"Piper?" he said softly. He sounded like he was begging. "Piper, honey, can you hear me?" The only sound he could hear was dripping fluids and the sizzling of steam as the hot car touched the cold, wet grass. There was a quiet sob, but Leo couldn't tell if it was coming from Phoebe or from inside the car. He stood completely still and listened as hard as he could. He found that he was holding his breath in order to remain completely silent. Through the pounding of his pulse in his chest, he heard another quiet sob. He was certain it had come from the car.

The back door of Prue's car was hanging by its hinges. It was bent along the middle and the glass was shattered, but still in place. Leo carefully wrapped his fingers around the side of the door and pulled. It took a few tries before it moved and opened a few feet. It wouldn't move any further.

Afraid of what he was about to see, it took Leo a few seconds to gather the strength to squeeze through the door. Taking a deep breath, he slid his foot through the door and slipped inside.

"Leo?" a small voice whimpered. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust before he found himself sitting beside Piper. Her body was twisted and broken, making her look small and oddly shaped. He didn't dare touch her. He could tell just by looking at her that she'd broken a number of bones and if she had broken her spine or neck, he could paralyze her if he moved her in any way.

"Don't move," he whispered, fighting back tears. He was relieved that she was alive, but he knew there was nothing he could do to help her. "We've called an ambulance. They're going to come and help. I promise you're going to be ok." He held his hand a few inches from her chest and attempted to heal her, but the familiar white glow wouldn't come. The Elders weren't going to let him intervene.

"Prue?" Piper struggled to speak.

"Try not to talk, ok," said Leo. "Just focus on staying real still." He didn't know how to tell her that her sister was dead less than two feet in front of her. He suddenly realized that had to tell Phoebe and Cole that Piper was alive. "I'm going to tell Phoebe you're ok. I promise I'll be right back."

"No!" she sobbed as he turned to leave. "Please don't leave me!" Leo lost it. He couldn't hold back the tears anymore. His eyes were burning from holding them back. They slid down his face and he tried his hardest not to completely break down. He wanted to take her hand, the hold her, to make her feel safe, but he knew he couldn't touch her. Relief flooded through him as the sound of a siren broke the silence and moved closer to where they were.

"I'm not going to leave you," said Leo. "I'm right here. I promise I'll stay."

It took nearly an hour to get Piper out of the car and into the ambulance. Leo stayed close by throughout the process, talking Piper through it and trying to comfort her as much as possible. When they got her onto a stretcher, Leo's worst fears were confirmed. Piper's spine was broken in more than one place. A few bones were protruding from her arm and her leg. He climbed into the ambulance without asking and sat across from Piper's head.

Phoebe watched as the ambulance sped away with her only remaining sister. The paramedics had informed them earlier that both Andy and Prue were gone. They refused to clean out the car while Phoebe and Cole were around. They did, however, watch as they pulled the driver out of the other car. He was pronounced dead on arrival and was merely place on a stretcher and taken in another ambulance. Phoebe was able to catch a glimpse of him as they pulled him out. It was Jeff's drunk friend from the banquet hall, Steve.

As the paramedics drove away with Steve, Phoebe couldn't help but think about all of the things she could have done to prevent what had happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Phoebe sat alone in the passenger seat of Piper's SUV. The only sound to break the silence was an occasional whimper. She had stopped crying a few minutes ago as she slipped into shock. Cole was only a few feet away from the vehicle explaining to the police what had happened, but Phoebe had never felt so alone. Her close-knit family had been torn to pieces. Prue was gone and no one would tell her if Piper was going to survive. She wished she had jumped into the ambulance with Piper and Leo.

She jumped when Cole opened the door of the car and bent low enough to see her. Phoebe looked at him, her face expressionless, her eyes bloodshot and wet with a few remaining tears.

"The police are going to drive us to the hospital," said Cole. He had told the police that he and Phoebe had been drinking. There was no chance he was going to get behind the wheel and endanger Phoebe's life as well.

Without a word, Phoebe climbed out of the vehicle and followed Cole to the squad car. She felt like a criminal as she climbed into the back seat. Once the door swung closed she knew she was trapped inside the vehicle until someone allowed her to get out. She stared at the spot on the door panel where the lever to open the door should have been and sighed.

Cole slipped into the back seat with her and shuffled next to her. He gently pulled her close until her head rested on his shoulder. She hadn't said a word to him since the accident and he didn't even try to start a conversation with her. He had no idea what to say. He felt it would be best to let her speak when she was ready and just be there to comfort her until then.

Phoebe took one last look out the window as they pulled away. The tow truck was just beginning to pull what was left of Prue's car from the ditch. Her chin quivered as she held back another flood of tears. She closed her eyes and stared at her feet. They were so small compared to Cole's

The trip to the hospital seemed to take an eternity. The squad car ended its journey in the emergency parking lot of one of San Francisco's many hospitals. The policemen stepped out of the vehicle and opened the back doors for Phoebe and Cole to get out. Cole took Phoebe by the hand and led her into the emergency unit of the hospital

People of all walks of life were waiting to hear word of the state their family and friends were in. There was a tension in the room so thick that Phoebe found it hard to breathe. The whole situation was too much to take in. Leo was nowhere in sight. He was most likely with Piper or somewhere close to her.

Cole released Phoebe's hand and approached the information desk to find out if any word of Piper's condition had been released. Phoebe found herself pulled toward one of the corridors within the emergency unit. It was as if she could sense where Piper was. There was a bond between her and her sisters that they would never be able to explain. Prue had always been able to tap into it better than either of her sisters. She could always sense if something had happened to her little sisters or if something was bothering them.

Phoebe found herself standing in front of one of the emergency room doors. Through the tall, vertical windows she could see Leo standing a few feet away from a crowd of doctors. He caught sight of her and motioned for her to come in.

"You can't be in here!" said one of the nurses that had been sent to retrieve surgical tools.

"She's family," Leo intervened. He grabbed Phoebe by the hand and pulled her close. Phoebe watched as the emergency staff moved quickly around the room and crowded around a surgical table where Piper was probably situated. She couldn't actually see her sister through the doctors.

A high pitched squeal made both Phoebe and Leo jump. The line on Piper's heart monitor had stopped pulsing and became a horizontal line with no activity.

"Get them out of here!" shouted one of the doctors. Phoebe and Leo found themselves forced out of the room before they could protest. They both stood at the door and stared into the windows, desperately hoping that Piper was ok.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've been meaning to update this sooner, but my internship was so much work! Here's another chapter for you. I'm going to try to update again before Christmas, but I need to update my other story first. Happy reading!

Phoebe sat at the front of the church, staring at her sister's casket. Andy's casket was just a few feet away from her sisters. She looked over at the pastor. He was talking to the congregation, but she hadn't heard a word he had said. She could feel tears burning in her eyes. She leaned against Cole for comfort. Usually being in Cole's embrace made her feel better, but today it wasn't helping at all.

Cole squeezed Phoebe tightly. He had killed so many people and seen so much death in his life, but none of them had made him feel this way. He was actually emotional over Prue's death. She had begun to feel like a sister to him. He rested his head on Phoebe's and fought back his own tears.

Phoebe burst into a fit of sobs. The funeral was making her realize that her sister really was gone forever. She wished Piper was with her. The doctors had put Piper in a drug-induced coma. They felt that if she were to move at all she was sure to become paralyzed. As it was, they had informed Phoebe that she had a very small chance of surviving and an even smaller chance of ever walking again. Phoebe couldn't imagine being an only child. She had always had her sisters. Even when she had moved to New York she knew she could always come home and have her sisters to support and love her.

People began standing up. The funeral was over. Leo took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. She didn't want to greet people and thank them for coming. She wanted to be anywhere, but the church where her dead sister and her sister's boyfriend were laying only a few feet away.

She was pulled toward the door of the church where a large picture of Prue and Andy had been placed on a wooden easel. She stared at her sister's face. She looked so happy. No one would ever know the true turmoil she and her sisters had been through over the last three years. From Prue's picture, she appeared to be without a care in the world.

She had no idea how long she had been staring at the picture. People didn't dare approach her as she stared longingly at her sister. She finally looked over at Leo. He motioned for her to stand with him and greet the people who had come to pay their respects to Prue and Andy. She caught a glance of Jeff and Allison as they left the church. They were obviously distraught over the death of Prue. They no doubt felt some responsibility for what had happened.

An unfamiliar face approached Phoebe. She was a young woman with fair skin and dark hair. She looked somewhat familiar, but Phoebe wasn't sure where she'd seen her before. She shook hands with the girl, not saying a word. The girl mumbled something about being sorry for the loss of Prue. Phoebe wasn't really listening. She desperately wanted to leave. She watched as the woman walked sheepishly out of the church before looking at Leo.

"Can we go?" she whimpered. Leo nodded and watched as Cole went to retrieve their coats from the front pew. Phoebe grabbed her coat and headed for the door. She found herself walking faster than normal. By the time she Piper's SUV she was running as fast as she could. She ripped the back door open and locked herself inside. She curled into a ball and sobbed into her knees.

"Should I give her a minute?" Cole asked as he looked over at Leo.

"I don't know," Leo replied. They stopped at the bottom of the steps of the church and looked over at Piper's SUV. Normally when one of the sisters was upset, the others would intervene before Leo or Cole had a chance. Neither of them had any idea how they should handle and emotional situation.

"I think maybe she should stay at my place tonight," Cole suggested. "I think going back to manor might be too much right now." Leo nodded.

"I can drop you too off," said Leo. "I'm going to stay at the hospital with Piper for awhile."

They slowly made their way to the vehicle. Cole slipped into the back seat first and pulled Phoebe into his arms. Leo quietly got into the front seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

Phoebe sat on Cole's sofa and flipped through the channels on the TV. She needed something to take her mind off of the funeral. Cole was in the kitchen preparing a light supper for the two of them. He wasn't sure if Phoebe would eat, but he figured if there was something available she might try some. He placed the food on the coffee table beside the couch and sat beside her. He opened a beer and wrapped his arm around her. After the stress of the funeral he needed something to help him relax.

Phoebe stared at Cole in disbelief and pulled away from him. Cole looked confused as she grabbed his beer and threw it across the room. The bottle shattered on the wall and its contents spilled onto the floor. Phoebe left the room without a word.


	5. Chapter 5

Phoebe stormed out of Cole's apartment, slamming the door in his face. She walked angrily to the elevator and repeatedly pushed the descent button. She could hear Cole open his door and walk quickly over to her. Without even glancing over at him, she turned on her heel and headed for the stairs. Her eyes began stinging with tears.

Before she could grasp for the door handle to the stairwell, Cole pulled her into a tight embrace. Phoebe screamed and struggled to push him away. Cole grabbed Phoebe's arms and watched as she fell to her knees and cried. He let go of her arms and knelt beside her. He could hear a few of the neighbours open their doors to see what was going on.

"I'm so sorry," Cole whispered. Phoebe leaned forward and buried her head into Cole's chest. He wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.

"I want to go see Piper," Phoebe managed to whisper. Cole nodded his head and pulled her to her feet. They went back to his apartment to get their jackets before heading to the parking garage where Cole's car was parked.

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Phoebe walked into the hospital and looked around. The lobby area was packed with people with a number of injuries and ailments. Phoebe couldn't help feeling sorry for every one of them. She used to be able to walk into the hospital without taking any notice of the other patients, but after the last few days she had become very aware of the tragedies within the confines of the ever-busy hospital.

Cole followed close behind, allowing Phoebe to lead the way. She walked with a purpose, not bothering to ask where Piper was situated. She seemed to know exactly where to go.

The ICU was relatively quiet. Visiting hours had been over for quite some time, but a few family members were allowed to stay as an exception. Phoebe didn't care if they weren't allowed to see Piper; she was going to anyway. A few of the nurses seemed to remember Phoebe and Cole and watched silently as they walked into Piper's room.

Piper's room was quite dark. The only source of light came from the hallway and from the monitors surrounding Piper's bed. Phoebe could see Leo asleep in a chair next to Piper's bed in what had to be an uncomfortable position. She didn't want to wake him up, but at the same time she wanted him to update her on Piper's condition.

She found herself staring at Piper. She hadn't even noticed Cole leave the room. As she turned around, Cole re-entered the room with one of the ICU nurses. Phoebe could faintly see her smile in the dark.

"How is she?" Phoebe asked immediately. She spoke in a whisper to avoid waking Leo. She had no idea how much sleep he'd had in the last few days. The nurse motioned for them to go out to the hallway to talk. She closed the door behind Phoebe to give Leo and Piper some privacy.

"I'll go get Dr. Aldridge and he can tell you everything about your sister's condition," said the nurse. Phoebe watched her closely. She couldn't imagine how the woman could be smiling when her sister was dying in the room behind them. She said nothing as the nurse walked away.

"How are you doing?" Cole asked. He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her close. Phoebe shrugged and looked back through the window looking into Piper's room.

They could hear the footsteps of two people approaching. Dr. Aldridge and the nurse appeared from around the corner at the end of the hallway. Phoebe suddenly felt the urge to run. She didn't want to hear what Dr. Aldridge had to say. Cole could sense her sudden panic and squeezed her tightly.

Dr. Aldridge introduced himself and shook their hands. He led them to a small office used for discussing patient information with families. The curtains in the room were closed to allow them privacy as the doctor broke the news.

Phoebe appeared to be listening, but her mind was in a fog. She heard a few things like, "six surgeries so far," "internal fixation of the spine," "metallic screws and plates to help the spine heal quickly," "swelling of the spinal cord", and "we will keep Piper in a coma until the bones and internal injuries have healed."

Cole was listening intently. He was surprised with how much he cared about Piper's condition. He had never cared for another person before meeting Phoebe and now he couldn't bare the thought of Phoebe losing another sister. It hurt him to know that Phoebe was falling apart and that nothing he could do would help.

They both watched as Dr. Aldridge placed Piper's x-rays on the light board. Phoebe buried her head into Cole's chest and bawled. Six inches of Piper's spine was screwed together and encased in metallic plates. Four of her ribs were broken, her pelvis was fracture and she had surgical pins in her left wrist, femur and tibia.

"She seems to be healing quite well," Dr. Aldridge informed them sympathetically. "Her brain waves look good and we haven't encountered any problems during surgery. In a few weeks we should be able to take her off of life support and bring her out of the coma."

Phoebe ran her fingers across her cheeks to brush the tears away and tried to control herself.

"Can we go see her?" she asked. Dr. Aldridge nodded and stood up to open the door. Cole and Phoebe left the room and quietly walked into Piper's room. Phoebe could faintly see the breathing tube protruding from Piper's mouth. She pulled up a chair next to Piper's bed and gently kissed her cheek. She rested her head on Piper's pillow and sighed.

Cole stood at the door and watched as Phoebe closed her eyes. She hadn't slept well since the accident, but she looked like she was finally able to relax. He waited to make sure she had fallen asleep before stepping out of the room and heading home for the night.

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Phoebe woke with a cramp in her neck. She sat up and stretched then looked around to figure out where she was. The hospital room was brighter than it had been when she had arrived. One of the day nurses had closed the curtains to allow Phoebe to sleep longer. There had been some discussion of waking her and setting up a place for her to sleep more comfortably, but the hospital staff decided to let her sleep.

Leo was no longer in the chair next to her. He woke up a few hours ago and went to P3 to help the temporary manager get everything running. He had hired Blake following the accident to keep P3 going. With Prue gone, P3 was the family's only remaining source of income.

Phoebe looked down at her sister. She looked worse in the light. Both of her arms and her face were scraped and bruised. Phoebe didn't dare look at the rest of her. She stared at the surgical pins protruding from Piper's wrist and grimaced.

"They'll take them out in a few weeks," said Leo. Phoebe jumped and looked back at Leo. "Sorry," he said with a bit of a grin. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Leo… hi," Phoebe gasped. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She looked at the tray he was holding and smiled. "You brought me breakfast?"

"I thought you'd be hungry," said Leo. "I figured you probably haven't eaten in awhile."

"I've been a little too preoccupied to eat," Phoebe confessed as Leo passed her a plate with eggs and toast. Leo nodded. He hadn't eaten in a few days either. The two of them sat silently, eating their breakfast and watching the movement in the hallway. New patients were being rolled in and patients that had recovered were taken to other wards within the hospital, much to their loved-ones' relief.

---------

Phoebe got through the next few weeks in a haze. She moved back into the manor, ignoring Cole's insistence that she stay at his apartment. She felt the need to regain some normalcy in her life. She spent most of her time at the hospital and only went back to the manor to sleep. The nurses occasionally allowed her to stay the night, but not too often.

She had been approached a few times by the nurses, requesting that she see the hospital psychologist. She didn't see the need to seek professional help. She knew that as soon as Piper was awake, she'd be fine. She'd finally begun to come to terms with the death of Prue and continued to convince herself that Piper would be fine.

A little over eight weeks, the doctors finally decided to bring Piper out of the coma. Her bones had nearly finished healing and the doctors had removed most of the surgical pins. They had explained to Phoebe that they would leave the internal fixation encasing Piper's spine unless she complained of discomfort.

Phoebe sat by Piper's bedside as the nurses took Piper of the sedation. Nurses and doctors came in and out of Piper's room every few minutes to check on her. One of the older nurses that Phoebe had befriended over the last few weeks had sat down with her to tell her what they would be looking for and to assure her that Piper would be ok. She had really helped Phoebe get through the last few weeks.

Phoebe watched as Piper's eyelids began moving. It was subtle at first, but became more consistent as Piper became more alert. Phoebe held her hand and smiled. The surgical pins hadn't left much of a scar when they had been removed. Piper's fingers twitched slightly, making Phoebe jump.

"That's a good sign," said Rita, the nurse that Phoebe had befriended. "We know that her upper body isn't paralyzed. The swelling must have gone down." Phoebe smiled and squeezed Piper's hand.

"When will you take the breathing tube out?" Phoebe asked. Rita checked Piper's monitors and wrote on her chart.

"I think Dr. Aldridge wants to wait until she wakes up," Rita replied. "There's a better chance that she'll breathe on her own that way." Phoebe nodded and bit her lip. There was so much to worry about with Piper waking up after being in a coma for so long.

Rita pulled up a chair beside Phoebe and took her hands in hers. "I've been putting this off, but I probably should have told you sooner to give you a chance to prepare," said Rita. Phoebe could hear the regret in her voice. "Honey, it's very likely that Piper isn't going to remember a great deal when she wakes up." Phoebe nodded. The thought of telling Piper that Prue was gone was always in the back of her mind. "It's probably not a good idea to tell her right away," Rita continued. "She's going to go through enough stress with the condition she's in and we don't want to put her through too much too soon."

"I understand," said Phoebe. In one way she was relieved that she didn't have to tell Piper right away, but at the same time she didn't know how she would explain Prue's absence. In the corner of her eye she could see Piper's arm come off the bed and reach for the breathing tube. Rita quickly stood up and pushed Piper's hand back onto the bed.

"I'm going to grab some restraints," said Rita. "Can you make sure she doesn't pull anything out while I'm gone?" Phoebe nodded and held Piper's hand down.

Rita returned with another nurse in a hurry. The two of them attached the restraints to Piper's bed and restrained Piper's wrists. Phoebe frowned as she watched Piper's face. Piper seemed to be struggling and beads of sweat were forming along her hairline.

"The breathing tube is bothering her," said Rita, seeming to read Phoebe's mind. She frowned and placed her hand on Piper's forehead. "And she's a bit fevered. Nothing to worry about though."

Phoebe offered to call Leo while Rita and the other nurse prepared for Piper to wake up. Leo had gone back to P3 to help with some electrical problems. Phoebe looked around to make sure no one was looking before ducking into an empty room. She shut the door and called for Leo, trying to be as quiet as possible.

It took a few seconds for Leo to appear. He had had to find a place at P3 where he could orb out without being seen.

"What happened?" he asked immediately. He had a panicked expression on his face.

"She's fine," Phoebe assured him. "I thought you should be here when she wakes up." Leo smiled and followed her back to Piper's room.

"Look who I found in the elevator," said Phoebe happily. Rita looked over at them and smiled.

"You're just in time," said Rita. "We expect her to wake up any time now." Leo and Phoebe watched as Piper pulled weakly at the restraints. Her eyes opened slightly and rolled back before closing once again.

Phoebe sat next to Piper. She couldn't wipe the grin off of her face. She was so excited to have Piper back again. So far, she'd been lucky, not having a single demon attack to worry about. Leo figured that because the Power of Three had been broken, the demons could no longer seek them out. However, with Piper back she had back-up, and an active power, if she needed it.

Piper began looking around absently, not conscious enough to focus on anything just yet.

"Hey, honey," said Phoebe softly. She placed one hand on Piper's cheek and squeezed her hand. Piper looked over at Phoebe and squinted, trying her hardest to focus on her sister's face. She began tugging harder on her restraints, now realizing that she was tied down. "Can we take these off now?" Phoebe asked.

"We can try," replied Rita. She approached Piper's bed and knelt close so Piper could see her. Piper looked over her and took a few seconds to focus on her. "Hello, Piper," said Rita sweetly. "My name is Rita. I'm going to untie your hands, but you can't pull on anything, ok?" Piper looked back at Phoebe, who squeezed her hand to assure her that everything was all right. "Don't try to talk," Rita instructed. "The tube in your throat is helping you breathe, but it inhibits your ability to talk. I'll run and get Dr. Aldridge and get it taken out right away."

Piper closed her eyes. The light was hard to adjust to and she was getting dizzy trying so hard to focus on anything.

Rita left the room to get Dr. Aldridge, allowing Leo and Phoebe a few minutes alone with Piper.

"Come on, sleepy head," said Phoebe. "You've slept long enough. It's time to wake up now." Piper tried to force her eyes open, but found it difficult to keep them open for long. Leo moved over to the window and closed the blind to make the room less bright for Piper.

Dr. Aldridge walked into the room and smiled at Piper. She looked confused. Dr. Aldridge introduced himself and explained to Piper what he was about to do. Rita began preparing a ventilator while Dr. Aldridge checked Piper's pupils. He looked over at Phoebe and Leo and requested that they leave the room while he extubated Piper.

Not wanting to be left alone, Piper grabbed hold of the breathing tube, ready to pull it out. Rita quickly grabbed Piper's hands and held them against the bed.

Phoebe's sisterly instincts immediately kicked in. She ran to Piper's side and tried to calm her down. She had to make sure Piper didn't freeze or blow up anything in the room. Piper's power had always been linked to panic, which was fine when all she could do was freeze things because they could easily cover it up, but when she received her second power they could end up with either reaction and it was harder to explain why objects spontaneously combusted..

Dr. Aldridge backed off and watched as Phoebe comforted her sister. She looked over at Rita for a bit of help. She hadn't realized it, but Rita had almost become a replacement for Prue the last few days. Rita continued to hold Piper's hands down as she explained what she could expect when Dr. Aldridge removed the breathing tube.

Against Dr. Aldridge's request, Phoebe stayed by Piper's side as he removed the tube. Rita had to be ready with the ventilator, so Phoebe took her place at the head of the bed, holding Piper's hands down. She tried to stay strong for her sister, but she cried out and had to turn away as Piper choked on the tube and fought to free her hands.

Piper's chest lifted off of the bed as she struggled to breathe. Rita placed the oxygen mask over Piper's mouth and nose and remained ready for re-intubation.

"Come on, honey," Phoebe coaxed. "One big breath or they have to put it back in." Piper looked up at Phoebe with a look of panic. She was digging her fingernails into Phoebe's hands, desperately trying to free her hands. Phoebe fought back tears, trying to be strong for Piper.

Dr. Aldridge grabbed the laryngoscope from the tray beside him as well as a new tube, ready to re-intubate.

"Come on, Piper!" Phoebe whimpered. "You've done it your whole life. Just breathe!"

Piper frantically gasped for breath, watching Dr. Aldridge carefully as Rita pulled the oxygen mask from her face. As Dr. Aldridge forced her mouth open, she managed to inhale on her own. It took a lot of effort, but she managed to inhale and exhale steadily. She stopped digging her nails into Phoebe's hands, now completely exhausted. Her breaths were shallow at first, but became more natural as she relaxed. Phoebe let go of Piper's wrists and placed her hand on Piper's cheek. Piper closed her eyes, too tired to stay awake anymore.

"What went wrong?" Phoebe asked. She looked up at Rita, then over at Dr. Aldridge.

"She's been on the respirator for so long, that the respiratory muscles are weak," replied Dr. Aldridge. "In medical terms, we call it respiratory muscle fatigue. We'll keep an eye on her for a few hours and if we don't see any improvement, we'll put her back on the ventilator."

Phoebe watched Piper closely. Her breathing seemed forced and difficult. Rita placed the mask back over Piper's mouth and nose to help her out.

"We should clean that up," said Rita. She looked down at Phoebe's hands, which were bleeding steadily. Phoebe followed Rita out to the nurses' station to clean her wounds. Dr. Aldridge checked Piper's chart, acknowledged Leo and left the room. Leo sat next to Piper and ran his fingers through her hair.

Piper forced her eyes open and looked up at Leo. Leo smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he whispered. Piper sighed and closed her eyes.

------

When Piper awoke a few hours later, both Phoebe and Leo were sitting next to her. Her breathing had improved considerably since she had first woken up. She tried to sit up, but she seemed to have no upper body strength.

"What happened?" she mumbled. Every movement seemed difficult. Even speaking was a complex task. What she intended to say didn't exactly come out the way she meant it to.

"You were in a car accident, sweetie," said Phoebe. "You've been in a coma."

"What for long?" Piper groaned. Phoebe looked over at Leo and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"She'll be a little incoherent for awhile," Leo explained. Phoebe nodded. "Not too long," Leo replied, facing Piper. "How are you feeling?"

"Where's… what's Prue?" Piper asked. She attempted to sit up again.

"Should she be moving around like that?" Phoebe asked.

"She'll be fine," replied Leo. "She should be pretty well healed now."

"Honey, how are you feeling?" Phoebe asked, trying to avoid Piper's question. Piper let her head drop back on her pillow and tried to focus on Phoebe.

"I can't feel my legs," Piper frowned. She looked like she was concentrating extremely hard on something. The look of concentration changed suddenly to a look of panic. "Leo, I can't feel my legs!"

"Don't panic," Leo said reassuringly. "You've been through a lot. It's going to take some time to get used to your body again."

"Did they cut off my legs?" Piper looked terrified. Phoebe quickly moved closer to Piper and held her hands.

"No, honey," she said softly. "They're still there." She was beginning to panic as well, but trying hard not to show it. Her worst fear was coming to life. Piper had been paralyzed from the waist down. Leo walked to the foot of the bed and assumed his role as a doctor. He gently squeezed her feet and worked his way up to her knee.

"Can you feel that?" he asked. Piper looked up at the ceiling.

"Feel what?" she whimpered.

"It's ok," said Phoebe. "We can work on that later. Right now you need to relax." Piper looked at Phoebe. A tear ran down the side of her face.

"I'm paralyzed," Piper whimpered softly. "Aren't I?" Phoebe looked down at her sister speechlessly. She didn't know what to tell her or how much she could handle just yet. Her shocked expression told Piper exactly what she needed to know. She looked away from Phoebe and let a few more tears spill down her cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

Phoebe watched as Piper cried herself to sleep. There was nothing she could do to comfort her. How could she tell Piper that everything would be ok when she really didn't think it would be? The doctors had told her from the beginning that there was a slim chance that Piper would regain all control of her body if she survived. They had given her a steroid to bring down the swelling of her spinal cord when she was first admitted to the hospital and it had had a positive effect initially, but the cord had begun to swell again as Piper regained consciousness.

Rita came back into the room and administered the steroid again to bring the swelling down. While Piper was sleeping, Dr. Aldridge had her taken for a Myelogram and a CT scan to assess the condition of Piper's spinal cord.

Phoebe collapsed into the chair beside Piper's bed and put her hand on her forehead. Leo pulled up a chair next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm so tired," Phoebe groaned. "This is too much and I haven't even told her about Prue yet. Is this going to get any easier?" Leo shrugged.

"It'll take some time," replied Leo. "You should go back to the manor for a bit. I can stay with Piper while you get some rest. The hardest part is over. Now that she's awake we don't have to worry about her slipping away." Phoebe nodded. The threat of Piper dying was finally over.

"I'm scared, Leo," Phoebe confessed. "We don't have the Power of Three anymore. I'm practically defenseless with my passive power and Piper is going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. How are we supposed to defend ourselves?" Leo looked away. He had already talked to the Elders and they had nothing positive to tell him. He could only hope that Piper somehow regained control of her lower body before the next demon attack.

"You have me," he replied. Hoping that it would help in some way having a whitelighter to take care of them. "We'll have to figure the rest out together." Phoebe nodded.

Taking Leo's advice, Phoebe headed home alone. It was always a struggle to get behind the wheel drive away. There was a constant fear that she would hit someone or that someone would hit her.

She drove quite slowly all the way back to the manor. She felt as though she were back in driver training. She obeyed every rule of the road and was constantly considering the other people on the road, ready for anything.

She pulled into the empty driveway of the manor and entered through the kitchen door. She wandered through the quiet house and went to her room. She had closed the doors of Piper and Prue's rooms so that she wouldn't have to look at them as she walked passed them. She could hear Prue's bedside alarm clock go off every morning, but left it until it shut itself off in order to avoid going into her room.

She stretched out on her bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.

------

Phoebe awoke a few hours later to the sound of someone calling her name. She sat up and looked over at the digital clock beside her. She'd been able to sleep through the night, but was up way earlier than usual.

She slipped out of bed and wandered into the hallway. She didn't know whether she should be ready for a demon attack or ready to greet Cole or Leo. She avoided saying anything, not wanting to call attention to herself if there was a demon in the house.

A soft, feminine voice called her name. The voice was familiar, but Phoebe couldn't place it. She stood silently, holding her breath and awaiting the voice to call her again. The voice suddenly clicked in her head.

"Grams?" she asked, just barely above a whisper.

"In the attic, darling," replied the voice. Phoebe raced up the stairs to the attic and pushed the door open. Grams was standing in the centre of the room. Phoebe could see the Book of Shadows on its pedestal right through her.

"Grams? How did you?" Phoebe gasped.

"It took some convincing, but the Elders allowed me to come check on you," replied Grams. She stepped between two of the candles on the floor, becoming less transparent and more like an actual person.

Phoebe ran over to her Grams and wrapped her arms around her. Grams placed one hand on Phoebe's back and the other on the back of her head. Phoebe felt like a child as she bawled in her Grams' arms.

"I know you've been through a lot," said Grams. "I just wanted to let you know that Prue is ok."

"Can I see her?" Phoebe whimpered. Grams shook her head.

"It's too soon, Phoebe," replied Grams. "In time, maybe, but not just yet."

"What am I supposed to do, Grams?" Phoebe asked. "We're completely defenseless now without the Power of Three and Piper is so vulnerable."

"That's another reason I wanted to come see you," replied Grams. "You still have the Power of Three. It just needs to be reconnected." Phoebe was confused, but awaited an explanation.

Grams explained to Phoebe how her mother had had an affair with her whitelighter and bore a child. Phoebe listened in awe. Not only did she have to tell Piper that Prue was dead, but now she had to tell her that they had another sister. Phoebe suddenly thought back to the funeral and the pale girl with the familiar features. She had the same features as their mother and she hadn't even realized it.

It took some time for the news to really sink in. Phoebe felt a wave of emotion run through her. She was angry and excited and upset all at once.

"How do I find her?" Phoebe asked finally.

"You'll come together in time," replied Grams. "You're drawn to each other, whether you realize it or not."

-----

Piper stared up at the ceiling as Darren, her physiotherapist, stretched out her left leg. Dr. Aldridge had set her up with a physiotherapist as well as an occupational therapist right after they had begun the steroid treatment.

Piper had broken down during the last few sessions. She was beginning to realize that there was little chance that she would ever walk again and even fine motor skills like holding a pen were a challenge. For awhile, she had refused to eat because she was too embarrassed by the lack of control she had with her hands.

Darren and Dr. Aldridge had stopped testing for whether she had any feeling in her legs. It was too hard on Piper and they knew they wouldn't get any new results.

"I think we can stop for today," said Darren as he covered Piper's legs with her blanket. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No, thanks," Piper replied. She watched as Darren left the room and sighed. Phoebe moved quickly into the room and sat on the side of Piper's bed.

"Hey," she said with a smile. "How did it go?" Piper shrugged and looked up at Phoebe.

"She's not coming, is she?" Piper asked. The smile on Phoebe's face disappeared and she had to look away. She knew exactly who Piper was talking about. After avoiding the question for weeks, she was finally painted into a corner. She took a few seconds to think of how to answer the question.

"Do you remember anything about the accident?" she asked finally. Her entire body broke into a sweat. Piper thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"Honey, Prue and Andy were in the front seats of the car that you were in," Phoebe explained slowly. "They, um… they didn't make it."

Phoebe watched as Piper pushed herself into a sitting position and her breathing became laboured. She shook her head and tried to take in what Phoebe had just said. Phoebe now understood why Rita had told her to wait until Piper was better before telling her about Prue. She could hear the dramatic change in Piper's heart rate as the monitor began beeping faster

She shifted closer to Piper and pulled her close. She could feel every sob and the tension in her body. She thought that she had finally gotten over Prue's death, but all of the emotions came rushing back. The two of them remained in each others' arms for a long time. Rita had come running when she heard Piper's monitors change, but when she saw the two girls, she knew it would be best if she left them alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Yay! A new chapter! And I only made you wait a few months! (Sorry, 'bout that). Hopefully this will keep you happy for awhile. I don't know when I'll be able to update next. I kind of had trouble with this chapter as I didn't know where to go with it. This is the third version of this chapter and I'm much happier with the way this one turned out. Enjoy!!

----

Piper stared through the windshield as she clutched her stomach. The lights of the car ahead of them were blurry and hard to focus on. She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the need to vomit. As she opened her eyes, a bright light came straight at the car. She could feel the impact as the two vehicles collided. She screamed as the seatbelt pulled her back, preventing her from going through the windshield. She could feel her bones snap from the sudden impact.

She was flung to the side as the car connected a second time with the side of the oncoming vehicle. There was a sharp pain in her wrist and leg, but she was too shocked by what was happening to take any notice.

Everything stopped moving. She looked up at the driver's seat to make sure Prue was ok. Prue's head was turned back unnaturally and she was staring straight at Piper. Her eyes were bloodshot and glazed over, her body completely still. Before Piper could say anything, blood began dripping from the corner of Prue's mouth. She soon took notice of the increasing pain in her legs. She looked down at where her legs used to be. The accident had torn them off.

----

Piper screamed as she sat up in bed. She continued to scream as Rita tried to calm her down. It took her a moment to realize where she was.

"You're ok," Rita said softly as she rubbed Piper's back. "Take a deep breath. It was only a dream." Piper ripped back her sheets, expecting her legs to be missing. Her feeling of relief didn't last long as Prue's lifeless face flashed through her mind. She buried her face into her hands and cried. Rita sat on the bed beside her and wrapped her arm over Piper's shoulder.

Piper fought the urge to push her away. She desperately wished she had Prue or Phoebe to seek comfort from, but visiting hours were over and she knew she would never have Prue's shoulder to lean on again. Although Rita was a complete stranger to her, she knew that she had been by her side for the last few months.

She and Rita sat in silence, listening to Piper's monitor as her heart rate slowed down. Piper could feel Rita's hand brush against her forehead.

"You're running a bit of a fever again," said Rita. "I'm going to run and get Dr. Aldridge."

Piper nodded and watched as Rita left the room. She looked over at the other side of the room where the phone was situated. It was too far to reach for, leaving Piper with no way of getting over to it and calling her sister. She hated her freezing power. If she was going to be a bump on a log for the rest of her life, it would have been better if she had Prue's powers.

She sat quietly thinking for a few minutes. She hadn't been out of bed since she'd woken up. She hadn't actually attempted to walk yet. She was curious to see if she could at least stand. She pulled her legs over the side of the bed and let them dangle over the floor. It felt so weird not being able to feel her legs.

She imagined the bottoms of her feet touching the floor. It was a tile floor, so it would probably feel cold. She shifted further off of the bed and watched as her feet connected with the floor. She found herself concentrating really hard to feel something. Shifting even further off of the bed, she watched as her legs bent at the knee, both legs bending in different directions.

"Piper, what are you doing?" Rita exclaimed from the door. Startled, Piper slipped off of the bed and onto the floor. Rita ran around the bed to make sure Piper was ok. She helped Piper get back into bed and checked to make sure she hadn't hurt herself.

"What on Earth were you trying to do?" said Rita as she sat on the bed with Piper.

"I just wanted to see if they'd work a little bit," Piper sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't realize they were completely useless."

"I think we should let you get out more," said Rita. "We'll get you into a wheelchair tomorrow and get you used to it." Piper nodded and watched as Rita stood up. She pulled the stand holding the phone next to the bedside and smiled. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Piper sat back in bed and stared at the clock beside the phone. She still had a few hours to sleep before anyone came to visit.

----

Piper woke with a start as Phoebe pounced on her.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" Phoebe asked with a smile. Piper had a shocked look on her face. "Oh, my God. Did I hurt you?"

"No, you just scared the crap out of me!" Piper muttered as she pushed Phoebe away. "And how the hell would I know? From the boobs down, I feel nothing!"

"That could come in handy," said Phoebe optimistically.

"When I'm thrown across a room in a demon fight, maybe," replied Piper sarcastically. "Why are you suddenly so cheerful?"

"Spent the night with Cole," replied Phoebe with a grin. Piper smiled and raised her eyebrow. "I brought breakfast." She placed a brown paper bag on Piper's lap and dug through one of her own. Piper stared at the contents of her own bag and looked up at Phoebe questioningly.

"Cake for breakfast, Phoebe?" she asked.

"These were featured on Oprah yesterday and I had to try one," Phoebe confessed. "And it was so good that I had to go buy another one to make sure it was good and two more for breakfast." Piper laughed and pulled the piece of cake from the bag.

"I see you two are having a healthy, balanced breakfast this morning," said Rita as she walked into the room. She was followed by one of the hospital volunteers with the food cart. Piper opted to save the cake for later and accepted one of the more healthy breakfast choices.

Dr. Aldridge knocked softly on the door before walking in. The girls smiled at him and set their food aside.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Dr. Aldridge. "I'd like to find out the cause of your fever and I'd like to do a lumbar puncture right away, if that's all right."

"Uh, sure," said Piper hesitantly. "Right now?" Dr. Aldridge nodded. He asked Rita to prep Piper for the procedure as he went to retrieve the necessary tools. Phoebe sat on the chair next to Piper's bed and held her hands.

"Is this going to hurt?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

"You'll be fine," said Piper sarcastically as she rolled onto her side. Phoebe smacked her playfully and looked back at Rita. Rita positioned Piper's legs into the fetal position and pulled the back of her surgical gown open.

"It's low enough, you shouldn't feel anything," replied Rita.

"Ah, another bonus to this paralysis thing," said Piper. Phoebe rolled her eyes and watched as Dr. Aldridge re-entered the room. Piper watched her sister's expression as it went from cheerful to horrified. "Ok, Pheebs. You can't do that and expect me not panic."

"Uh, you're going to be fine," said Phoebe nervously. "You can't feel anything, remember?"

Rita helped Dr. Aldridge clean the area around Piper's spine and slathered her back with iodine. As Dr. Aldridge administered the general anesthesia, Piper cried out in pain.

"You can feel that?" Rita asked with surprise.

"No, Phoebe's breaking my hand," replied Piper. "From this point on, do not watch what they're doing!" Phoebe released her grip on Piper's hands and stared at the floor. Dr. Aldridge finished the lumbar puncture and left Rita to finish cleaning up.

"You're going to have to lay flat for the next few hours," Rita instructed. "Try not to move around too much."

"No worries there," said Piper.

"Aren't you the queen of sarcasm today!" said Phoebe. Piper shrugged and grabbed the tray of food from the bedside table. She and Phoebe sat back for the next few hours watching soap operas over breakfast and cake.

-----

Piper awoke a few hours later alone. Phoebe had left when Piper had fallen asleep to do some shopping with Cole. Not knowing whether or not she should be moving around, she pressed the call button on the side of the bed and waited for a nurse.

Rita walked quickly into the room with an arm full of clean bed sheets. She placed them on the end of Piper's bed and checked Piper's temperature.

"How are you feeling?" Rita asked.

"Fine," replied Piper. "Can I get up, or should I stay still?" Rita assured Piper that she could move around and told her that she would get Dr. Aldridge to give her the test results as she left the room. Piper sat up in bed and retrieved what was left of the cake Phoebe had brought her.

Dr. Aldridge greeted her happily as he walked into the room; chart in hand.

"You have good news?" Piper asked with a mouth full of cheesecake.

"Very good news," replied Dr. Aldridge. "The source of your fever may also be the source of you paralysis." Piper set her cake back on the bedside table and looked at him in disbelief.

"Your spinal fluid sample contained bacteria, which may be caused by a post-surgical infection. It's really rare, but it can cause paraplegia. I'm going to drain the abscess and administer some medications that should kill the infection."

"And then I'll be able to walk?" Piper asked hopefully.

"There is a small chance that you may be able to walk again," replied Dr. Aldridge. "Unfortunately I can't say for sure." Piper nodded and thought for a minute.

"Can you maybe not tell my sister," Piper asked. "I don't want to get her hopes up, just in case." Dr. Aldridge nodded and proceeded to tell Piper about the procedure to remove the abscess. Not wanting to prolong the procedure much longer, they decided to do it immediately.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about the lack of updates to this story

Sorry about the lack of updates to this story. I lost interest in it for awhile, but decided I should at least finish it for you guys. Hopefully this next chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!!

--

Phoebe and Cole were sitting down for a nice dinner at a busy street café. Phoebe was digging into yet another cake, her fourth that week, while Cole sipped on a black coffee. As they waited for their meals, they sat and watched the people walking along the streets.

Phoebe stared at three little girls that were walking hand-in-hand behind their mother. The girls looked very close in age and had the same curly, strawberry-blond hair. She immediately began picturing herself and her sisters. They had been so close as children.

"Phoebe?" Cole said suddenly, causing Phoebe to jump slightly in her chair. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Phoebe smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing," she replied. "I'm just stuck in my head today."

"You can talk to me," said Cole. "Maybe I can help." Phoebe shook her head and took another bite of her cake. She looked up at Cole, then at something behind him. Her mouth dropped open and she stood up suddenly.

Cole called her name, not knowing what she was doing. She walked right passed him and toward one of the shops across the street. She was heading towards a familiar face, which she had only actually seen once before. The girl from Prue and Andy's funeral was standing next to a shop window, staring in at an article of clothing that she knew she couldn't afford.

As Phoebe walked closer to the girl, she suddenly realized that she had no idea what to say to her. Grams had been right that they would find each other eventually, but she hadn't given Phoebe any advice as to how to approach this woman. She couldn't even remember her name. She knew it started with a "P". All the names she knew that started with the letter "P" began racing through her head.

"Paige!" Phoebe exclaimed suddenly as the name came to her. The woman turned around quickly, startled that a complete stranger was calling her name. She stared at Phoebe. She recognized her immediately from Prue's funeral.

"Uh, hi," said Paige unsurely. "Um… Phoebe, right?"

Phoebe nodded. She stared at the girls features. She was definitely a Halliwell.

"I was actually hoping to run into you," said Phoebe. "I don't suppose you have a minute or two to talk?"

Paige didn't know what to say. She didn't actually know Phoebe at all. She didn't know any of the Halliwell sisters, but for some time she had thought that they might be related. After the funeral, however, she hadn't really thought about it much. The sisters had obviously been through a great deal and she didn't want to interfere.

After thinking it over for a few moments, she agreed to sit down for coffee with Phoebe and Cole. Deep inside, she was trembling with excitement. Phoebe Halliwell might be the only person left that could explain where she had come from.

As they talked over coffee and dinner, Phoebe continually probed Paige for some information regarding her family life and background. Her heart nearly exploded from her chest when Paige had mentioned that she had been adopted.

"Have you ever looked into who your real parents were?" Phoebe asked. Cole stared at the two women. He couldn't believe how much personal information Phoebe was collecting from this complete stranger. He had no idea that she suspected Paige was her sister.

Paige replied that she hadn't found any solid evidence as to who her parents might be. She desperately wanted to tell Phoebe that she believed that she was a Halliwell, but didn't know how to bring it up. She didn't know why, but she immediately felt a connection with Phoebe. Phoebe felt the same thing.

Cole's jaw dropped open as Phoebe suddenly blurted that Paige was her sister. Paige sat silently. She looked like she had been slapped in the face.

Phoebe put her hand to her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had just said. Paige smiled suddenly.

"I think so too," Paige replied softly. Phoebe smiled with relief. "Wow, I have a sister! This is so cool."

"Two sisters," Phoebe interjected. "We still have Piper."

Paige blushed. She had no idea that Piper had survived the crash and had been avoiding bringing it up. She smiled with the thought of suddenly having two sisters. She'd been an only child her entire left up until this very moment.

"I gotta tell you, I have no idea how to be a sister," Paige confessed. "This is all really new to me.

"Don't worry about it," said Phoebe. "There's a LOT that Piper and I are going to have to teach you."

--

After swapping numbers with Paige and agreeing to meet at P3 that night, Phoebe and Cole left the café and headed for the hospital to check on Piper. The hospital had called Phoebe that morning to let her know that Piper would be going into surgery and wouldn't be out until around 2pm.

The two of them pulled into the hospital parking lot at half passed two. They strolled hand-in-hand to the elevator and up to Piper's floor. Piper had since been moved out of the ICU and up to the post-surgical ward.

"What are you going to tell Piper about Paige?" Cole asked once the doors closed them into the empty elevator. Phoebe leaned back against Cole and sighed.

"I don't know," replied Phoebe. "I think it might be too much for Piper to handle right now, don't you?" Cole shrugged. "She hasn't even had a chance to really get over Prue yet."

"That could take a long time," said Cole. "You've had longer to get over it and you're still not over it yet." Phoebe nodded. She tried to push Prue out of her mind to avoid getting emotional. She didn't know how long it was going to take her to get over Prue's death. She'd been dealing with it for months now and Piper had only learned about it about a week ago. Bringing up Paige was definitely a bad idea.

"Maybe I'll have time to train Paige to be a Charmed One before telling Piper," Phoebe suggested. "I have no idea how I'm even going to tell Paige that she's a witch."

She was so grateful when the elevator door opened. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed with her responsibilities as the middle sister. She was also feeling like she had taken on the role of the eldest and youngest sister as well. As far as Piper knew, she was still the baby of the family and with Piper out of commission; she was the eldest sister to Paige too.

They walked down the corridor to Piper's room. The room was dark. All of the lights had been turned off and the curtains had been pulled closed. Assuming Piper was still sleeping, Cole elected to stay in the corridor and give Piper her privacy. Phoebe on the other hand walked straight into Piper's room, dragging Cole in behind her.

Piper turned to look at them as they entered the room. Phoebe sat on the side of the bed and grabbed Piper's hand. Piper cried out and squeezed Phoebe's hand. Phoebe soon noticed that Piper was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Cole began backing out of the room, not knowing if he should give the girls some privacy.

Before Phoebe could enquire as to how Piper was feeling, Rita walked into the room.

"Oh, honey," she said sympathetically. "Not feeling any better yet." Piper shook her head. "I can only up the morphine a little more," Rita explained. "Hopefully this helps a little. Try to stay on your side and keep the pressure off of your back for awhile." She increased the dosage of Morphine through Piper's IV line and tried to make her as comfortable as possible.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked. She slipped off of Piper's bed to avoid causing her anymore pain and continued to hold her hand.

"Just some post-surgical pain," replied Rita. "Nothing to worry about. She's fighting a migraine from the surgery as well, so it's best to keep the lights off while you're in here." Phoebe nodded and smiled down at her sister. Rita checked Piper's monitors before leaving the room to give Cole and the girls some time alone.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" Phoebe asked as she sat on the chair next to Piper. Piper put her free hand on her forehead and licked her lips.

"I've been better," she said with a touch of humor in her voice. "What were you two up to?" She looked over at Cole, who was slowly inching his way over to the door.

"Nothing too exciting," Phoebe lied. She looked over at Cole and motioned for him to move closer to them. Cole reluctantly walked closer to the bed and avoided eye contact with Piper. "Has Leo been in to see you lately?"

"He came last night," replied Piper. "He's been running P3 for me though, so he's been pretty busy."

Phoebe nodded and looked at the floor. Since the accident she hadn't set foot in P3. She couldn't stand to look at the people putting their lives and the lives of others in danger for a few hours of fun. She didn't know how to tell Piper that she had tried to convince Leo to close P3 for good.

Piper's grip seemed to loosen on Phoebe's hand. Phoebe looked up to see Piper beginning to relax. The morphine was beginning to take an effect. She could tell Piper was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"We should go so you can get some sleep," Phoebe suggested as she began to stand up. Relieved, Cole began making his way over to the door.

"No," Piper interjected. "I've been asleep for hours. I'm not tired." Phoebe smiled as she watched her sister struggle to stay awake. She felt terrible having to leave Piper every night alone in the hospital. She wanted to take her home, but knew that Piper still had a lot of recovering to do.

"Hey Pheebs," Piper mumbled. Phoebe leaned in closer to hear her sister. "I can feel my legs now." Phoebe stared at her sister in shock. She didn't know if Piper was actually able to feel her lower extremities or if it was the morphine talking.

She sat back down and ran her fingers through Piper's hair. Piper's eyes slipped closed and she sighed deeply. Phoebe continued to comb her fingers through Piper's hair until she looked like she'd fallen asleep, then got up and followed Cole out of the room.

"She looks like she's getting better," mumbled Cole as they made their way back to the elevator.

"What is up with you," Phoebe laughed. "It's like you were afraid to be in the same room as Piper." She smacked him playfully on the arm and pulled him into the elevator.

"I don't do well with sick people," Cole shrugged. Phoebe rolled her eyes.

--

Piper's next few weeks were spent in physiotherapy. She had regained the use of her legs, but walking wasn't easy. She had lost a great deal of strength in her legs and basic movements were difficult.

Because she now had the ability to get in and out of her wheelchair, Dr. Aldridge decided that Piper would be able to go home.

Phoebe and Leo came to pick her up as soon as they heard the news. Phoebe had Piper's things packed and had the wheelchair ready before Piper could change into her own clothes.

Piper squinted as Phoebe pushed her outside. She hadn't been outside of the building in months. The only link to the outside world she had had in the last few months was through the window of her room. She took the time to enjoy the fresh air as they made their way toward Piper's SUV.

Leo opened the back door of the SUV and helped Piper to her feet. Piper stood unsteadily for a moment while hanging onto Leo's arm. Leo helped Piper into the vehicle and shut her in before hopping into the driver' seat. Phoebe folded the wheelchair and put it in the trunk before jumping into the passenger seat next to Leo.

As they drove over the Golden Gate bridge, Phoebe looked back to check on Piper. Piper was gripping the edge of her seat until her knuckles turned white.

"Piper, are you ok?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm fine, let's just get home," replied Piper. After the accident, Piper had become nervous on the road. It was going to take some time to get used to driving again.

They drove into the Halliwell's drive way and got out of the car. As she stepped out of the vehicle, Piper stared at the four storey manor. Phoebe looked at the house and immediately thought the same thing.

"Uh… we might have to build you a bedroom downstairs for awhile," said Leo as he pulled Piper's bags and wheelchair from the vehicle.

Phoebe pulled Piper's arm around her shoulder and helped her walk toward the front door of the manor. As they began their slow ascent up the front stairs a cheerful voice could be heard behind them calling Phoebe's name.

The three of them turned around to see Paige Mathews coming up the walk. Piper looked over at Phoebe with a look of confusion.

"Who's she?" Piper asked quietly.

"This," replied Phoebe with an awkward grin on her face. "Is Paige."


	9. Chapter 9

Paige stood in the middle of the walkway staring up at Piper

Paige stood in the middle of the walkway staring up at Piper. She was staring at a face that she never thought she would ever have the opportunity to see in person. It was like looking at someone that had just come back from the dead. She knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't believe that this woman standing in front of her was her big sister.

"Wow, Piper," she said finally. "It's really great to meet you. I love your club."

Piper smiled and nodded. There was something familiar about Paige, but she couldn't figure out where she'd seen her before.

"Paige and I met a few weeks ago," Phoebe explained. Paige smiled and continued to watch Piper. She was hanging onto Phoebe's arm for support. Phoebe had told Paige that Piper had been paralyzed and had just regained her ability to walk again. She'd been going to physiotherapy, but she wasn't completely steady on her own yet.

Leo walked up the steps with Piper's bags and let Piper take his arm.

"It was nice meeting you, Paige," Piper said as Leo helped her into the manor. Paige watched as the door clicked shut behind them. Phoebe smiled and skipped down the steps towards Paige.

"So, what are you up to?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm sorry," said Paige apologetically. "I didn't realize she was coming home today. If I'd known I would have given you guys some space."

"Don't worry about it," said Phoebe. "I'm so glad you were able to meet her. I can't wait to tell her about you."

"How are you going to do that?" Paige asked.

"I haven't quite figured that out yet," replied Phoebe sheepishly. "I'm going to have to break it to her slowly. She's still getting over Prue, so it might be a bit much to take in right now." Paige nodded. "Do you want to come in for tea?"

"Oh no," replied Paige. "This is kind of a private time for you two. I don't want to intrude."

After some discussion, the girls decided to meet at a later date, giving Phoebe the opportunity to help Leo with Piper. Phoebe watched as Paige walked back to her car, contemplating how she was going to tell Paige about the Halliwell's secret. She wondered if it would be better to keep Paige in the dark and allow her to keep her normal, care-free life or drag her into the responsibilities of being a protector of the innocent with supernatural powers.

As Paige pulled into the street and disappeared around the corner, Phoebe pushed through the front door of the manor and ran upstairs to find Piper and Leo.

She found the two of them in Piper's bedroom. Piper was sitting on the side of her bed watching Leo unpack her bag.

"Hey, you got up here fast," said Phoebe with a tone of surprise in her voice.

"We orbed," Piper explained. "I think the stairs are going to be a bit of a problem for awhile." Phoebe sat on the bed next to her and rested her head on Piper's shoulder. Leo suggested they make a bedroom for Piper downstairs so she wouldn't need to use the stairs too often, but Piper refused. She wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible and didn't want to create too much work for anyone.

Leo left the room with Piper's empty suitcase and headed up to the attic to put it away. Phoebe took Piper's hand and played with the wedding ring around her finger.

"How are you doing?" Phoebe asked, looking up at her sister. Piper sighed and shrugged.

"Ok, I guess," Piper replied. "Everything is so different now. I think it's going to take awhile to get used to it." Phoebe nodded.

"Tell me about it," she sighed. "But at least we have each other. For awhile I thought I was going to be completely alone for the rest of my life."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Piper as she wrapped her arm around Phoebe and pulled her close.

--

Piper lay awake in bed, listening to the sound of Leo sleeping. It was nearly three a.m. and she hadn't been able to fall asleep. She stared blankly at the wall and contemplated getting up to wander around.

She gently lifted Leo's arm, which he had wrapped over her stomach, and slipped out from under it. She quietly got out of bed and used the bedside table to help her stand up. Moving as quickly as she was able to, she made her way over to the door and into the corridor. She closed the bedroom door silently behind her and held onto the wall for balance as she walked over to Prue's room.

Piper stared at Prue's door for some time before working up the courage to open the door. She flicked the light switch beside the door and took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the light.

Prue's room was completely untouched. Everything was exactly the way she had left it, the only difference being the thick layer of dust covering everything. Phoebe obviously hadn't been in Prue's room since her death. The day she'd returned home following Prue's funeral, she'd closed the door to Prue's bedroom and never once looked inside.

Piper stared at the room, memories of her sister flooding through her head. It was hard to believe that she would never see Prue again until the day of her own death, unless, of course, she and Phoebe could summon her through magic. However, her instincts were telling her that magic wasn't going to help bring Prue back considering that Prue's death was not caused by a demon or a warlock, or anything magical for that matter.

She turned the bedroom light off and moved carefully into the room toward Prue's bed. She pulled the covers back and crawled into the bed, the smell of Prue's shampoo and perfume still clung faintly to the fabric of the sheets. She pulled one of Prue's pillows close and held it tightly, allowing Prue's scent to comfort her.

As Piper clung to what was left of her sister, a single tear rolled down her cheek, followed by many others. She completely broke down in Prue's bed and cried herself to sleep.

--

Phoebe wandered into the kitchen early the next morning to find Leo already making coffee and breakfast. She poured herself a cup of coffee before hopping onto the cupboard and looking around.

"Leo, where's Piper," she asked, following a sip of hot coffee. "I didn't see her in your room."

"She's asleep in Prue's room," replied Leo.

"Poor Piper," Phoebe sighed. "She hasn't really had any closure. She missed Prue's funeral. I don't know what to do to help her."

"It'll take some time," Leo explained. "Give her some time to grieve and she'll be all right." Phoebe nodded and took another sip of her coffee. Leo looked at her, wanting to ask Phoebe about Paige, but not knowing how to approach the subject."

"So, what is the story about Paige?" he asked finally. "You two seem to hang out quite a bit." Phoebe set her coffee mug on the cupboard and looked at her feet.

"I kind of wanted to tell Piper first, but there really hasn't been a good time yet," replied Phoebe. "Our mom and her whitelighter had an affair a few years after our dad left and mom ended up pregnant." She watched the expression on Leo's face change to one of shock and surprise. "Paige is our baby sister."

Leo was too shocked to speak. He had finally accepted that the Charmed Ones no longer existed, but with Paige in the picture, it was possible that the Charmed Ones could be reconstituted and their destiny could continue.

"You have to tell her Phoebe," said Leo. "She needs to know that she's still a Charmed One and that she needs to continue to protect herself from evil."

"I know Leo," Phoebe sighed. "But I still have another problem to deal with." Leo looked at her questioningly, not knowing what Phoebe was talking about. "I somehow have to tell Paige that she's a witch."


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, I hope I haven't lost all of my readers here

Hey, I hope I haven't lost all of my readers here. I'm trying to update as often as possible and I have no intention of leaving it unfinished. Thanks to those of you who have written positive reviews. I love getting feedback because then I know people are reading and enjoying my writing. Anywho, enough rambling. On with the story!!

--

Piper yawned and stretched out in Prue's bed. She couldn't remember sleeping so well in quite some time. Something about Prue's room made Piper feel safe and loved. She squeezed Prue's pillow and inhaled the scent of her shampoo before getting out of bed.

Phoebe ran through the manor, racing for the phone. She grabbed it just as it rang for the fourth time. She answered it breathlessly and flopped onto one of the bottom steps of the staircase.

"Hey, you," she said happily to the caller. "What's up?"

"Hey," Paige replied. "My friend Glen was supposed to come to the beach with me, but he cancelled last minute. My stuff is already packed and I kinda still want to hit the beach. Are you in the mood to soak up some sun?"

Phoebe gladly accepted the offer. She figured it would be a great opportunity for Paige and Piper to get to know each other and she was due for a trip to the beach. She said goodbye to Paige and replaced the phone in its cradle.

She had agreed to meet with Paige in just over an hour, so she immediately ran to find Piper. She couldn't find her in her bedroom or in the attic. The only place left to look was the kitchen.

She stopped short when she reached the kitchen. There was no one around. As she wandered further into the kitchen, she noticed the basement door wide open. She and Piper always left the door to the basement closed after being attacked by the Woogyman, so her immediate thought was that Piper had gone downstairs. A sense of fear rushed through her mind as she pictured Piper falling down the stairs as her legs gave out beneath her. She slowly approached the stairs, dreading what she might find at the foot of the staircase. She closed her eyes and gripped the railing before peering into the basement. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see Piper on the floor.

"What are you looking for?" Piper asked from behind her. Phoebe jumped and turned around to see her sister standing in front of her. She wrapped her arms around Piper and squeezed her tightly.

"You're smashing me," Piper gasped breathlessly.

"I'm sorry," said Phoebe. She released her grip on Piper and stepped back. "I've made plans for us. Go get packed, we are heading to the beach."

The smile faded from Piper's face and she stood speechlessly, staring at Phoebe. "Phoebe, I can't. I'm a complete mess and none of my bathing suits are going to cover it up."

"It's not that bad," said Phoebe. She'd briefly seen the state of Piper's back following the accident. After the lacerations caused by the accident and the multiple surgeries on her spine, Piper's back was horribly scarred. "But if it bothers you, you can borrow one of mine if you want."

Piper looked at Phoebe skeptically. There was no way that one of Phoebe's bathing suits was less revealing than one of her own. Phoebe smiled and pulled Piper toward the staircase. "We'll find you something," she assured Piper.

--

Piper stood in front of her bedroom mirror wearing her bathrobe. She stared blankly at her reflection, building up the courage to remove her robe. Taking a deep breath, Piper turned her back to the mirror and let her robe slide off of her shoulders, exposing her back. She stared back at the mirror, analyzing the multitude of large scars along her back. One ran from the base of her neck along her spine to the small of her back. Another smaller scar was situated next to the large scar from her second spinal surgery. A few more scars were scattered across her back from protruding bones and glass from the accident.

The more she stared at her back, the more self-conscious she felt. There was no way she was ever going to go in public wearing a bathing suit or any other articles of clothing that would reveal her scars.

She pulled her robe back over her shoulders and tied it closed around her waist just as Leo orbed into the room. Leo walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She tilted her head back onto his shoulder and rested her hands on his arms, gently stroking the muscles of his forearms.

"Are you going out?" Leo asked. He looked over at the bed he and Piper shared. One of Piper's bags was set on the edge of the bed surrounded by scattered beach apparel and accessories.

"I don't know," Piper sighed. "Phoebe wants me to go to the beach with her and Paige, but I really don't want to go."

"Yes, you do. You love the beach." Leo interjected. "You should go. Your physiotherapist said swimming would be a good way for you to strengthen your legs."

Piper rolled her eyes and breathed deeply. It was taking way too long for her body to feel like her old body again. She wasn't even comfortable during intimate moments with Leo anymore. She couldn't stand having Leo look at her anymore and she was adamant about keeping her shirt on, ignoring Leo's protests.

"Piper, it's not that bad," said Leo. He knew exactly what was bothering her. He'd caught her looking at her scars a few times, but never mentioned it to her.

"Yes, it is," Piper answered back. "I thought they were going to fade a little, but they still look so bad."

"Is that why you haven't wanted to leave the house?" Leo asked.

Piper nodded. "Leo, my back looks like a road map and I walk funny. I really don't feel like going out in public like this."

"I promise, the walking will get better," said Leo. "Let me see if I can help with this." He gently pulled Piper's robe off of her shoulders and let it fall to her feet. Before she could protest, he held his hand over her back and waited for it to begin to glow. Piper's scars began to fade until they were no longer visible.

"Did it work?" Piper asked softly. Leo pulled Piper's robe over her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. He nodded and smiled at her. "The Elders let you heal me?"

"I guess they figured you've been through enough," Leo suggested. "And you can't fight evil if you're not comfortable leaving the manor."

Piper walked over to the mirror and dropped her robe to admire her back. Her skin now looked flawless, with no sign of ever having been injured. Piper smiled and wrapped her arms around Leo's neck.

"Thank you," she said, before engaging him in a passionate kiss. Leo smiled and pulled her close.

They were interrupted by the sound of Phoebe calling to Piper from the main floor. Piper let her head fall back as she groaned. Leo smiled and let her finish packing. Scanning the bed, he picked up Piper's black bikini.

"You should wear this one," he suggested with a grin. Piper smiled and snatched the bikini from him.

Downstairs, Paige and Phoebe were waiting at the foot of the stairs for Piper. Leo threw Piper's bag over his shoulder and lifted Piper into his arms. When they reached the foot of the stairs, Leo gently placed Piper on her feet and placed her bag on the floor.

"You girls have fun," said Leo. He lifted Piper's chin and kissed her before heading to the kitchen and orbing out of the manor.

"Shall we?" Paige asked with a smile. Phoebe and Piper grabbed their bags and followed Paige to the door. As the walked into the entryway, Piper dropped her bag and grabbed hold of one of the door frames. Phoebe and Paige both jumped to keep her from falling.

As the three girls came into contact, the room lit up with swirling lights. The connection between the three girls was enough to recreate the connection between the Charmed Ones. Paige hesitated, not wanting to drop Piper, but freaked out by the strange events occurring in the Halliwell manor.

"What was that?" she gasped. The two girls helped Piper steady herself before releasing their hold on her. Piper looked over at Phoebe questioningly. Phoebe smiled nervously. She was horrible at keeping secrets and she felt like she was going to explode if she didn't tell both of her sisters what she knew.

"Maybe you two should sit down," Phoebe replied. Still holding on to Piper, she led the two girls into the parlor and sat across from them. Both Piper and Paige stared at her, awaiting an explanation.

She watched Piper's expression as she explained that Paige was their half-sister from their mother's relationship with her whitelighter. Piper sat in shock, staring at Phoebe before looking over at Paige. Paige smiled awkwardly at Piper and shrugged.

"How long have you known?" Piper managed to ask once the initial shock had subsided.

"A few weeks after you were admitted to the hospital," replied Phoebe. "I didn't want to tell you right away. I wanted to give you some time to grieve first." Piper was speechless. She kept looking from Phoebe to Paige, not knowing what to do or what to say.

"That's not all," Phoebe continued. "Paige… you're a witch. We're all witches, with magic powers."

Paige laughed, not realizing that Phoebe was serious. As the two girls stared at her, her smile vanished and she stood up off of the sofa.

"Is that what that light thing in there was?" Paige asked in disbelief. "What the hell have you done to me?"

"Paige, it's ok," Phoebe said quickly as she jumped from where she was sitting. "We didn't do anything. You were born a witch. It's nothing to be afraid of, I promise. Come on, we're sisters. You can trust me."

"What does this mean?" Paige panicked. "Are we devil worshipers? Do we cast spells on people? Do I have to ride a broomstick?"

"No," Phoebe chuckled. "It's not like that at all. We're good witches. We can't use our magic to punish or for personal gain."

"Well, that kind of takes all the fun out of it," said Paige. "So, what is my power? What is your power? Are there other people with powers?"

"You have a lot to learn," said Phoebe. She wrapped her arm around Paige's shoulder and squeezed her affectionately. "But first, let's go to the beach shall we?"

"You still want to go to the beach?" Piper asked in disbelief. "You drop a bombshell like that on Paige and I and you want to go to the beach?"

"We need to bond as sisters and Paige needs to know everything about being a Charmed One."

Piper looked up Phoebe and Paige and sighed. "All right. Let's go." Phoebe and Paige ran to help Piper to her feet but she quickly protested. "I can do it! I'm not an invalid!" Phoebe ran and quickly grabbed Piper's wheelchair. As Piper steadied herself by holding on to the arm of the couch, Phoebe pushed the wheelchair into the room.

Piper looked at Phoebe and raised her eyebrows. "If you think I'm sitting in that thing, you are sadly mistaken." Phoebe leaned on the chair and looked at Piper. "Don't look at me like that," said Piper. "No means no."

Phoebe pushed the chair aside and rolled her eyes. "You're a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know," Phoebe sighed as they walked out the door toward Paige's car.

"I know," Piper replied with a smile. "What can you do?"


End file.
